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Roman Military Power

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1. Did the Roman Empire become increasingly militaristic?

2. Did the Roman Empire become more or less imperialistic?

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This solution discusses how the Roman Empire become increasingly militaristic. It also discusses how the Roman Empire become more or less imperialistic.

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1. Did the Roman Empire become increasingly militaristic?
The Roman Empire became increasingly militaristic until it reached military anarchy for 50 years (235-284 AD). For example, the Severan Age was a time of turmoil, but Rome remained a large empire with an impressive system of law, food production, commerce, and frontier defense. Its fatal weakness lay in its lack of a constitution. After Septimius Severus, all power derived from the army, which claimed to represent the Roman people. Earlier civil wars had shown that legions would support their own commanders in the hope of rewards. For 50 years generals caused incredible destruction in their quest for power, but their efforts were largely in vain. Between 235 and 284, the troops acclaimed about 20 "emperors" and another 30 "pretenders," although the two groups only differed in that the emperors briefly managed to control the city of Rome. Only one of these emperors died of natural causes, so the imperial throne was a dangerous prize. Romans decided to accept the military dictatorship that would allow them to remain a superpower.
Thus, increasing military dominance also caused the Roman Empire to become increasingly imperialistic. As the military power increased it was able to dominate other countries and territories. The two concepts are thus linked. As the Roman Empire became increasingly militaristic (the stronger the super power- e.g., Roman Empire), the more expansive and thus, the Roman Empire also became increasingly imperialistic. Thus, through military power, the Roman Empire expanded.
Civil war and the collapse of central authority affected every aspect of Roman life. While roving armies commandeered supplies from farms and cities, imperial tax collectors made increasingly harsh demands for funds to support the armies and the bureaucracy. Farmers who were barely surviving could no longer pay these taxes, so many fled their land to work for large landholders or turned to robbery. Newly arrived Germanic peoples from beyond the Rhine and Danube rivers, whom the Romans regarded as barbarians, settled on some of this abandoned property, while some of it remained barren wasteland. Many of these small farms were incorporated into large villas, which in many ways foreshadowed medieval manors. Landlords who owned these large villas were often senators, and they had the wealth to raise defensive forces against bandits, soldiers, or barbarians. However, because farmers were growing less food, ...

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